KARACHI: The Sindh government is expected to announce up to 30 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees with “no news tax” in the provincial budget 2024-25 scheduled to be announced on Friday (today).

The budget session of the Sindh Assembly is stated to begin after the Friday prayers and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of provincial finance minister, would present the budget. Government sources said the CM was expected to announce up to 30 per cent increase in the government employees’ salaries.

Giving a briefing on the upcoming budget, Minister for Energy Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government would provide relief to the salaried class and poor people in the budget. He said President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto wanted that the increase in the salaries should be proportional to inflation.

“Providing water facilities and low-cost electricity to the people of Sindh are the top priorities in the budget and Bilawal Bhutto wishes that no new tax be imposed on the people,” he said.

Last year, the Sindh government had passed Rs2.25 trillion budget for 2023-24, proposing a massive hike in salaries in line with the federal budget and a significantly higher development expense of Rs700 billion, which accounts for 31 per cent of the outlay.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2024